Thill-coupling.



PATENTED SEPT. s, 1903..

WEE. SHERWOOD. THILL COUPLING. v,APIELIOATION FILED D110. 28, 1902.

K0 MODEL.

- 1.1V VENI-OR .wmgwm ATTORNEY.

WI 'IW'ESS ES UNITE STATES I IPatented September 8, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 738,495, dated September 8, 1903.

1 Application filed December 26, 1902. Serial No. 136,548. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known thatLWILLIAM E. SHERWOOD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Oneida, in the county of Madison, in the State of New York,have invented new and usef ul Improvements in Thill-Couplings,of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the class of thillcouplings in which a pivoted antirattler-jaw is pressed onto the back of the shackle-eye of the thill-iron by means of a spring, which is fulcrumed intermediate its ends and connected at one end to the said antirattler-jaw and at the opposite end to a lever formed with an arm, which by means of a link is connected to the clip-bar on the axle.

The invention consists in an improved construction and combination of the component parts of the thill-coupling, which is more convenient and more efiieient and safer in its operation, as hereinafter described, and as illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 is aside view of myimproved thillcoupling, one of the coupling ears being broken away to better illustrate more important parts of the coupling. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section 011 the line X X, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line Y Y in Fig. 2.

In the said drawings, A represents the front axle of a vehicle.

13 is one of the usual clips which embrace the axle and are fastened to the clip-ties C, placed across the under side of the axle in the usual and well-known manner.

D D are the coupling-ears, which are formed on the front of the clip B and receive through them the coupling-pin a, which also passes through the shackle eye I) of the thill-iron. The coupling-pin a is formed at one end with a depending arm a, from the lower end of which extends the horizontal fulcrum-bar a 0 denotes the antirattler-jaw, which by its pressing on the back of the shackleeye 1) prevents the rattling of the coupling. The jaw c is pivotally supported on the bar a by means of depending hooks c 0, extending across the back of the bar a and engaging the bottom and partly the front of said bar and re tained in said engagement by the spring cl,

passing across the front of the bar a and up to the back of the jaw c, to which it is attached, preferably, by means of a stud e, projecting from the jaw and passing through the spring and headed on its end, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The bar a is thus made to serve as a fulcrum for the spring (I, and inasmuch as said fulcrum is carried 011 the rearwardly-yielding hooks c and the said fulcrum-bar and hooks are interposed between the spring and the rigid clip-tie C it is obvious that said spring is relieved from wear and abrasion, which injury would be inflicted if the spring were allowed to bear on the rigid clip-tie. The fulcrum-bar a is provided with a circumferential groovef, which engages one of the hooks c and thus prevents said bar from moving longitudinally and serves to retain the couplingpin a in the ears D and shackle-eye b. The lower and longer portion of the spring extends rearward from the fulcrum-bar a and is connected at its end to the rear end of the lever l, the front end of which rests on the under side of the spring d when the thill is coupled to the vehicle-axle, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The rear end of the leverlis formed with a downwardly and rearwardly inclined arm Z, to the end of which is pivotally connected the locking-link h, which is inclined forward and hooked onto a suitable support in front of itssaid connection, preferably onto the front end of the cliptie O, and thereby locks the lever Z in its aforesaid forwardly extending position, which draws the rear end of the spring upward and forces forward the front end portion thereof, which extends above the fulcrum-bar a and presses the antirattler-j aw 0 onto the back of the shackle eye I) to prevent rattling of the coupling.

2' represents a boss, which projects from a bar extending across the backs of the hooks c.

The said boss is in a position to abut against ient of access for manipulating it in attaching and detaching the thill than the hooking of said link onto the rear end of the clip-tie, which requires the operator to reach under the axle and to the back thereof. Furthermore in my improved coupling the link h, when hooked onto the clip-tie, is disposed at an angle which effectually prevents said link from accidentally slipping off from the cliptie. The lever l, engaging the under side of the spring d, retains the arm Z of said lever in a rearWardly-inclined position, which exerts a rearward strain on the link 72, and securely locks the link in its engagement with the clip-tie.

My present invention is also embodied in the improved construction of the anti rattlin gjaw c and its connection with the fulcrumbar a and spring d, by which improvement the cost of manufacture is reduced and the efficiency and safety of operation is increased.

The uncoupling of the thill is effected by forcing the front end of the lever Z downward sufiiciently to throw the arm Z up past the rear end of the spring. This allows the spring to throw the lever down from its locked position and relieves the link h and the antirattling-jaw c from the strain of the spring. The link is then readily thrown off from the clip-tie and the coupling-pin a and jaw c to be withdrawn from their operative position on the coupling.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In athill-couplin g of thewithin-described class, the combination with the axle-clip, antiend of thesaid lever and to the antirattlingjaw and passing across the front of the fulcrum, and the link connected to the lever and hooked onto the front end of the clip-tie as set forth.

3. The combination with the shackle-eye, lever and coupling-pin,of the antirattling-j aw formed with depending hooks, the fulcrumbar formed integral with the coupling-pin and seated in said hooks, and the spring passing across the front of said fulcrum-bar and up between the hooks and attached to the antirattling-j aw as set forth and shown.

4. The combination with the shackle-eye, lever and coupling-pin, of the antirattling-j aw formed with depending hooks, the fulcrumbar formed integral with the coupling-pin and provided with a groove engaging one of the hooks, and the spring passing across the front of said fulcrum-bar and up between the hooks and attached to the antirattling jaw as set forth and shown.

WILLIAM E. SHERWOOD. [Ls] \Vitnesses:

B. F. STEARNs, C. E. SHERMAN. 

